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MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. - Mount Vernon officials met with members of the Metropolitan Transit Authority to continue discussing their proposed multi-million dollar project that will replace five of the city’s aging bridges on Friday.

Mayor Richard Thomas, Mount Vernon's grants team and members of the city's Law Department met with officials and engineers from the MTA last month to discuss a $25 million project to replace five city bridges along the New Haven Metro-North line, including the 10th Avenue and 3rd Avenue Bridges, which “have been closed for far too long,” Thomas said at the time.

Thomas said that Mount Vernon has invested $1.8 million, which will be matched exponentially by a $20 million infusion in funding from the MTA. The mayor noted that the MTA and city are planning to partner in turning the bridges “into public art and community spaces with benches, flower plantings, trees and murals.”

On Friday, Thomas and the MTA met with the contenders for the art project on the new bridges. The mayor said that the purpose of the meeting was to tour the city and "give the artists a feel for the culture and the history of Mount Vernon so they can incorporate that into their proposals for selection.

"Mount Vernon is rich in both areas and Mayor Richard Thomas is excited to see what ideas the artists come back with," they said in a statement. "The artwork on these bridges will have a large impact on the future look of the city and can play a role in shaping the city's new image and the outside perception of the city's culture."

“This is similar to programs that the MTA has with Bronxville and Scarsdale,” Thomas added. “We are pleased that they are working with our city to bring the same quality of life here.”